The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-12

way up / realized that all was confusion
in the car that canes, valises and rods of
iron were in the air about me. | must have
regained consciousness in very short
time, for when ] awoke all was darkness
in the car, and horrible shreks and pierre
ing walls of agony almost deafened my
ears. In the end of the car farthcst from
me, the stove was overturned and the
flames were Just starting with magic rapid
ity. There WIS some sort OF a new gas
lamp in the car with reservoirs reaching
from one to the other. The flames leaped
up the sides, and in less time than can
tell it, the gas was btrning the whole
length of the coach over our heads. was
wedged in between two seats, where
could not move limb OF my body, and
there watched the fire slowly creep upon
me. 1t was q terrible sight. In the end
OF the coach, near the fire, ] could see
ALADY CAUGHT BETWEEN THE SEATS,
as was. The fire slowly crept across the
car, she WIS soon enveloped in flames,
and then, in agony, she burned before my
eyes. Just across from my seat noticed,
soon before the accident, father, his
wife and daughter. | saw them also
crushed together and burned. Just as the
flames were blazing foot or two away
from me, man pulled me into the aisle
and said: Come TO the window" He
must have mistaken me for some one else,
for the moment he had looked closely at
my face, he dropped me and hurried
through the window, with an exclamation
of evident disappointment then pain
fully crawled after him in safety"
This afternoon, when the reporters, who
had been long delayed in reaching Kout's,
owing TO the secretiveness Of the railroad
officials, began at last to arrive, there was
little in the aspect of tho village 20 indi-
cate the calamity that had 10 recently
taken place. All the dead bodies had
been carefully removed from sight, only
two OF the wounded were still in the vii
lage, and the local employees OF the road
were deaf and dumb to all seekers after In
formation. The coroner had been obliged
10 90 70 Huntington, over fifty miles dis
tant, TO obtain the statements OF witnesses,
and the villagers seemed wholly at sea re-
garding the extent Of the disaster About
the only person able and willing 10 tell'thc
details Of the horror was DR.. c. w. Mckee.
The doctor is n prosperous looking, intelli-
gent man, about thiTty-seveh ycytrs of age,
who promptly responded, in the dead OF
night, to call, that he take'a hand.car
and go TO the scene OF the wreck, three
miles from his residence. ., ....
DIR: M'REE RENDERED NOZZLE SERVICES.
lie had scant time to give his experience
in detail, but stated that 10 the best Of his
knowledge IL would not be overstating the
facts TO say that tho collision had cost the
lives Of fully thirty. twas shortly after
o'clock this morning We reached the
wreck, and he immediately began 10 give
his services 10 the wounded. Those who
were badly hurt, when the crash came,
he says, must have had little chance for
their lives, so quickly had the cars taken
fire and 80 thorough was the work OF The
flames. As an illustration OF the destruc-
ton, and the difficulty OF arriving at cor
rect idea OF its magnitude, the doctor said
that probably not soul would have been
made aware Of the all but total wiping out
OF the Miller family Of six had not their
boy been saved. DIR. Mckee stated that
only nine bodies had been recovered, and
they were 30 badly charred "a 10 be almost
beyond recognition, the most left OF any
OF them being blackened trunk, and in
some cases little beyond few handiuls of
ashes. The nine were "A follows The Mil
Ter family, OF Dundce-father, mother,
two brothers and a girl their fourteen year
old boy, Herman, will probably die, also),
DR.. Perry, Of North Judson, Ind; DIR;
Pcrry's wife, DR.. Pcry's daughter, aged
eleven, and h young Irish lady.
Supt Parsons, Of the Chicago 4 Atlantic
road, was seen late In the afternoon, gloom
lily pacing the station platform. He was
extremely taciturn, and was very sure that
no more bodies could be found under the
| n.I. hal
killed, he declared, and not more than
eleven or twelve hurt; none Of the latter
seriously. lie admitted that
NO FLAoNAs HAD BEEN sEsr BACK
from the passenger train when q stop was
made. Mr.. Parsons said the train men
depended upon a scmaphore light fully
1900 feet in the rear OF where the stop wa
made. The conductor Of the train had
pulled the cord for this light when he
stepped from his train. This would throw
the glare Of a red danger signal on the
track. The night, however, was foggy,
and the engineer of the fast freight mus
have failed 10 see the signal. Supt Far
sons thought the accident would hav,
been very ordinary one had not the stoy,
in the sleeper upset. That caused the de
struction oi the sleeper, two coaches anc
baggage car. and, in the main, was doubt
less the cause Of the loss Of life. Coroner
Leatherman, Mr.. Parsons said, reache,
the scene from Valparaiso about li:y
o'clock n. M, and after viewing the debri
and making some inquiries, had found !
necessary to 10 10 Huntington IN search o
witnesses. The wounded, Mr.. Parsons ex
planned, had been taken there M early a
possible, and the passengers who were un
, hurt, 10 the number Of twenty-five, haI
been forwarded 10 their destinations with
out delay.
Several passengers who were on the III
iated train arrived in this city this after
, noon. One oi them, n gentleman iror
! Taunton, Mass, who was ON his wa
] home, was sitting in tho 6rt car asleep
with his head on his sachel. "The first
} knew" said he, 81 heard n frightful crash
, and the ear seemed shattered and th
! pieces were flying past me. The next
! knew found myself almost
BURIED ~ THE RUINS,
and they seemed TO keep piling up.
tried 20 extricatc myself and found W.
: near window. II was all dark and a
, around me we're ycls and groans, and III
! blackncss made Il fearful. did not scci
90 bc hurt beyond being shaken up, no
a called for help out Of the window. Son
!, man, | don't know who, helped me OF
: and turned In and helped TO get othe
; out. A little willie after got ont, thougl
y the whole thing took fire, and we we
= forced b. give mp working on II, bit by hi
: At one place there were two or three wor
!, en-, apparently all together, and We tri'
, 70 ct them ont. They were shrieking .
the time in manner 10 freeze ones bloc
for the FIRE was coming nearer 10 them
i the time. We worked MS long rs we coul
r but could not gci them out and the q